If you are claiming Universal Credit, you could be at risk of losing part of your payments if you do not attend an appointment without a good reason – and it could apply to a phone call
Universal Credit claimants could be at risk of losing a portion of their benefits if they miss just one phone call without a valid reason. When you apply for Universal Credit, you’re required to agree to a ‘claimant commitment’, which outlines what you’ll do to seek employment and boost your income while receiving the benefit.
Usually, you’ll need to attend a meeting at a jobcentre to discuss this commitment, where your unique circumstances and any barriers to fulfilling the commitment will likely be discussed. For instance, you might struggle to find work because you spend most of your free time caring for someone.
Once the commitment is agreed upon, it’s regularly reviewed and adjusted if your situation changes. As a result, you may be asked to attend regular appointments to continue receiving Universal Credit.
While these meetings typically occur at a jobcentre, they can also take place over the phone, as per GOV.UK guidelines. If you fail to attend an appointment at the jobcentre or over the phone, official guidance states that it must be for a valid reason.
If you give a reason for missing the appointment and it’s not accepted, you could face a sanction and your Universal Credit payment could be reduced.
How much money you could lose from a sanction
Official guidance cautions that your Universal Credit payments could be reduced by 100% of the current Universal Credit standard allowance for each day a sanction is in place.
The only exceptions are if you’re aged 16 or 17, or if your sole responsibility is to attend appointments to discuss work, your payments will instead be reduced by 40% of the standard allowance rate. Moreover, the sanction could be reduced to nil and still be considered in place if your payments are already reduced due to earnings or other income and there isn’t enough Universal Credit payment to cover the full sanction amount.
Even if a sanction is applied to your Universal Credit payments, you will still receive any additional amount provided alongside the standard allowance, such as for housing costs. Sanctions can also impact your ability to receive help with NHS costs through your benefit entitlement.
Acceptable reasons that could avoid a sanction
If you are unable to fulfil your claimant commitment, you need to contact the DWP as soon as possible via a note in the journal section of your Universal Credit account or using the details provided by your work coach. The GOV.UK website lists the following reasons that could be acceptable for not fulfilling your commitment:
More information on the Universal Credit claimant commitment can be found here.